Feel like cooking authentic Thai food with a local chef in Phuket? What about exploring UAE cultural highlights and traditions? Or perhaps playing a lute in Vietnam with a Hanoi musician or visiting a local vineyard in Jordan?

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts across Asia and the Middle East has introduced a new Local Flair Getaway concept that connects travellers with unique local experiences that are light years away from traditional tourist attractions.

“More and more travellers want to engage with a destination in an authentic meaningful way,” said Andreas Mattmüller, chief operating officer for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Middle East and Asia. “They want to learn about local cultures, talk to local people and enjoy local experiences rather than just visit the sights.”

The Local Flair experiences are as unforgettable as the destinations themselves. In Aqaba expert ornithologists reveal the secrets of the mass migration of rare birds across Jordan; in Lebanon wine connoisseurs track down the country’s rarest vineyards; in the UAE a vet reveals how Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital has managed to treat 42,000 birds and in Kuwait a historian unearths the ancient relics of lost civilisations on the island of Failaka.

Other experiences include cooking Arabic food with a chef in Dubai and Tala Bay and discovering the secret Saigon tunnels that played an important role in the Vietnam War.

Every Local Flair Getaway experience includes room nights, special services and features experiences that are as unique as they are varied from art, architecture and culture to cuisine, wildlife and history.“Each experience is completely unique,” said Andreas Mattmüller. “But there is one thing that is common to each one – unforgettable memories come as standard.”

More information about all Local Flair experiences at: www.moevenpick- hotels.com/localflair (TBC)